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asreadbykat's review against another edition
3.0
My eternal dislike for love triangles aside (I hated them even when I was a teenager), I did enjoy reading this book! The author's writing style is very enjoyable to read, and I could tell she put a lot of effort into portraying the culture and setting of Taiwan in this book.
I could really feel the struggles that Ever went through during the course of the story. While not Asian-American, I had my own experiences growing up that helped me relate to her situation enough that it legitimately made my heart ache to read about her struggles.
There are two things about the story that keep it from getting a 4 star rating for me:
1. The secondary romantic male lead feels more end-game than the primary romantic male lead.
Now, as this story is a stand-alone in terms of the main character (I know book 2 comes out next year, focusing on different characters), I expected the romance to bloom fast. If I ignore how much I dislike love triangles in general, my biggest complaint with the romance is that Ever has way more interaction and real bonding time with the second male lead. As cute as Ever and her primary love interest are together, by the end of the book, I was honestly wishing she had chosen the second lead because I had seen so many more meaningful interactions between them than between her and the other. The love triangle was heavily weighted in one direction, and in terms of the end game of the romance, it was in the wrong one.
2. The story is burdened with too many heavy topics.
the story is already doing a lot of heavy-lifting by trying to tell the story and hardships of a first generation Asian American. Now add to that a pretty important side plot involving mental health, as well as portrayals of abusive romantic partners, child abuse, sexual freedoms.... Yeah, that's a lot to unpack, and a lot of weight for a single novel to hold. As a result, the only topic that really gets the discussion it deserves is Ever's struggle with her cultural identity. The other's come in, get mentioned, and then disappear again, or are glossed over without really being discussed. And honestly, those topics deserve more than that, particularly for the age group this book is aimed at.
Overall, I did really enjoy reading the book and I don't regret buying it at all, despite the flaws mentioned. I will definitely be buying the next book as well!
TL;DR: I enjoyed and recommend it, but the story is damaged by including topics it has no time to full discuss, and a romance that is more fast-paced than it needs to be.
I could really feel the struggles that Ever went through during the course of the story. While not Asian-American, I had my own experiences growing up that helped me relate to her situation enough that it legitimately made my heart ache to read about her struggles.
There are two things about the story that keep it from getting a 4 star rating for me:
1. The secondary romantic male lead feels more end-game than the primary romantic male lead.
Now, as this story is a stand-alone in terms of the main character (I know book 2 comes out next year, focusing on different characters), I expected the romance to bloom fast. If I ignore how much I dislike love triangles in general, my biggest complaint with the romance is that Ever has way more interaction and real bonding time with the second male lead. As cute as Ever and her primary love interest are together, by the end of the book, I was honestly wishing she had chosen the second lead because I had seen so many more meaningful interactions between them than between her and the other. The love triangle was heavily weighted in one direction, and in terms of the end game of the romance, it was in the wrong one.
2. The story is burdened with too many heavy topics.
the story is already doing a lot of heavy-lifting by trying to tell the story and hardships of a first generation Asian American. Now add to that a pretty important side plot involving mental health, as well as portrayals of abusive romantic partners, child abuse, sexual freedoms.... Yeah, that's a lot to unpack, and a lot of weight for a single novel to hold. As a result, the only topic that really gets the discussion it deserves is Ever's struggle with her cultural identity. The other's come in, get mentioned, and then disappear again, or are glossed over without really being discussed. And honestly, those topics deserve more than that, particularly for the age group this book is aimed at.
Overall, I did really enjoy reading the book and I don't regret buying it at all, despite the flaws mentioned. I will definitely be buying the next book as well!
TL;DR: I enjoyed and recommend it, but the story is damaged by including topics it has no time to full discuss, and a romance that is more fast-paced than it needs to be.
mimichang's review against another edition
4.25
teehee! the way i literally stayed up listening / fell asleep with this book til 5am yesterday! a bit more eye-rolly than when i read it years ago but still very enjoyable :)
chinarose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nicnicreads's review against another edition
4.0
Gave this book a second chance after shelving it for too long and it was a rollercoaster ride with Ever Wong! I am so proud of her for casting aside all the stereotypical Asian bs and just letting herself be her! Also, very timely that I finished this during AAPI month. 4 ballet shoes/5!
joanna1905's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars*
I was so pleasantly surprised by this - I only picked this up when I saw the movie was coming out but I ended up really enjoying it. I think it tackled some really difficult situations and - for the most part - did it with care and grace.
I really loved seeing Ever learning about her heritage but I do wish we got a little bit more that and a little less drama. The love triangle just felt a bit trite but it wasn’t poorly done so it was fine.
My one issue was the way the revenge porn plot was handled - I’m not necessarily against it being in YA but I don’t think this book did a good job at all of discussing it. I’m so over the best friend turns enemy because of a boy and Sophie turned insanely malicious over a guy she was only interested in because he’s rich. Spreading those photos to the school, to the dance school, to her parents was so disgustingly malicious and then it was just completely breezed by…? Like because the guy she was hooking up with was violent we’re meant to just forgive her for violating Ever. Really hated this part and felt it was approached with all the nuance of a 2014 book… which is a shame for a very new novel.
All in all I really enjoyed it, and I’m definitely interested to see what happens in book two especially considering my feelings for Sophie.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this - I only picked this up when I saw the movie was coming out but I ended up really enjoying it. I think it tackled some really difficult situations and - for the most part - did it with care and grace.
I really loved seeing Ever learning about her heritage but I do wish we got a little bit more that and a little less drama. The love triangle just felt a bit trite but it wasn’t poorly done so it was fine.
My one issue was the way the revenge porn plot was handled - I’m not necessarily against it being in YA but I don’t think this book did a good job at all of discussing it. I’m so over the best friend turns enemy because of a boy and Sophie turned insanely malicious over a guy she was only interested in because he’s rich. Spreading those photos to the school, to the dance school, to her parents was so disgustingly malicious and then it was just completely breezed by…? Like because the guy she was hooking up with was violent we’re meant to just forgive her for violating Ever. Really hated this part and felt it was approached with all the nuance of a 2014 book… which is a shame for a very new novel.
All in all I really enjoyed it, and I’m definitely interested to see what happens in book two especially considering my feelings for Sophie.
janagaton's review against another edition
5.0
*full non-spoiler review on my blog! disruptyourcomfortzone.wordpress.com *
Loveboat, Taipei is Abigail Hing Wen’s debut YA novel about an eighteen-year-old girl named Ever whose parents send her to an educational immersion program in Taiwan for the summer to learn about their culture and spend her time off school being productive and staying out of trouble, or so they thought. This is a rollercoaster of a novel in a unique setting that explores several hard-hitting topics that I did not expect going into the story. From what it’s like growing up in an Asian household (which I’m personally very familiar with), to depression, racism, abusive relationships, standing up for yourself, and more, Loveboat, Taipei encompasses a coming-of-age story in such a well-rounded manner that I think it would be difficult for someone not to find something relatable while reading it.
Loveboat, Taipei is Abigail Hing Wen’s debut YA novel about an eighteen-year-old girl named Ever whose parents send her to an educational immersion program in Taiwan for the summer to learn about their culture and spend her time off school being productive and staying out of trouble, or so they thought. This is a rollercoaster of a novel in a unique setting that explores several hard-hitting topics that I did not expect going into the story. From what it’s like growing up in an Asian household (which I’m personally very familiar with), to depression, racism, abusive relationships, standing up for yourself, and more, Loveboat, Taipei encompasses a coming-of-age story in such a well-rounded manner that I think it would be difficult for someone not to find something relatable while reading it.
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
4.75
I really enjoyed this book. The first 24 pages hit me hard and I was invested. Then it shifted to your average-is YA contemporary/romance-ish coming of age novel and I was still pretty invested. Emotional and impactful moments surfacing here and there to remind me of the stakes at hand.
Simply put its a story about a girl who doesn't want to disappoint her parents but she wants to be a dancer and her parents want her to be a doctor. She is then forced to discover herself during a trip to Taipai that her parents set up so that she could learn the language and culture of her people.
I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this book. There are a lot of layers to it and I feel like the author did a great job weaving them all together.
Spoiler thoughts:
Spoiler
I personally found some of the over rebellious parts to be a little annoying, but it makes sense under the circumstances.
I did like that the moral of it all was to focus on what YOU want and not what other people wanted. Our main character lived her life doing what her parents wanted, then she started this trip doing what her friend told her and in the end she realized that she didn't want either of those extremes, instead she wanted to focus on doing what she wanted.
It did make me upset that the school got mad at here for the nude photo that went around. And of course I think it was super fucked up of her "friend" to give something like that out. Especially when it seemed pretty clear that the MC wasn't even used to wearing provocative stuff to begin with. I had MAD respect though about her reaction. The realization that she had become friends with all the people who were involved and that if any of that was true they would realize how fucked up it was to accept her photo without her permission.
I also think the artists obsession with drawing her was a bit weird. Like I get him drawing her a little bit, but DAMN bruh. Like his drawings were more like stalker photos than anything else. Granted I actually liked his character and the fact that he saw her happiness in the end and was cool with that or whatever. I did want a better ending for him and am a little sad that he didn't get one.
And yeah, thats all I can think of at the moment. Good book. I enjoyed it. It made me emotional.
Simply put its a story about a girl who doesn't want to disappoint her parents but she wants to be a dancer and her parents want her to be a doctor. She is then forced to discover herself during a trip to Taipai that her parents set up so that she could learn the language and culture of her people.
I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this book. There are a lot of layers to it and I feel like the author did a great job weaving them all together.
Spoiler thoughts:
Spoiler
I personally found some of the over rebellious parts to be a little annoying, but it makes sense under the circumstances.
I did like that the moral of it all was to focus on what YOU want and not what other people wanted. Our main character lived her life doing what her parents wanted, then she started this trip doing what her friend told her and in the end she realized that she didn't want either of those extremes, instead she wanted to focus on doing what she wanted.
It did make me upset that the school got mad at here for the nude photo that went around. And of course I think it was super fucked up of her "friend" to give something like that out. Especially when it seemed pretty clear that the MC wasn't even used to wearing provocative stuff to begin with. I had MAD respect though about her reaction. The realization that she had become friends with all the people who were involved and that if any of that was true they would realize how fucked up it was to accept her photo without her permission.
I also think the artists obsession with drawing her was a bit weird. Like I get him drawing her a little bit, but DAMN bruh. Like his drawings were more like stalker photos than anything else. Granted I actually liked his character and the fact that he saw her happiness in the end and was cool with that or whatever. I did want a better ending for him and am a little sad that he didn't get one.
And yeah, thats all I can think of at the moment. Good book. I enjoyed it. It made me emotional.
grace_muriithi's review against another edition
4.0
reread this because there's a movie coming out and I WILL be tuning in for the drama-
Honestly, I lowkey forgot how messy the romance was in this book (PLEASE) but I read every single moment of it. Like, Rick, Sophie, Xavier, and Ever?? With other people thrown in?? Love triangle doesn't even begin to cover the shapes this romance took. Outside of that, though, I found Ever's struggles with trying to pay homage to her roots both in Taiwan as well as the life her parents struggled to create for her in the U.S. quite relatable- immigrant child guilt is definitely real. I would give this book a 4/5 stars though because I forgot how absolutely awful Sophie was as a character...and it never really felt like she answered for what she did to Ever by the end of the novel (at least sincerely- Ever's SO MUCH better than me personally). Anyways, it was an enjoyable read and hopefully the movie also turns out well!!
**check trigger warnings before you read the book though!
Honestly, I lowkey forgot how messy the romance was in this book (PLEASE) but I read every single moment of it. Like, Rick, Sophie, Xavier, and Ever?? With other people thrown in?? Love triangle doesn't even begin to cover the shapes this romance took. Outside of that, though, I found Ever's struggles with trying to pay homage to her roots both in Taiwan as well as the life her parents struggled to create for her in the U.S. quite relatable- immigrant child guilt is definitely real. I would give this book a 4/5 stars though because I forgot how absolutely awful Sophie was as a character...and it never really felt like she answered for what she did to Ever by the end of the novel (at least sincerely- Ever's SO MUCH better than me personally). Anyways, it was an enjoyable read and hopefully the movie also turns out well!!
**check trigger warnings before you read the book though!
slsj_'s review against another edition
2.0
DNF at 80%. I was so close, but if I am being honest with myself I wasn’t really enjoying the book for the beginning, I was just along for the ride...until the ride started to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I really disliked the main character, and while the others were interesting her disregard for others and lack of moral judgement gives me enough reason to put the book down. And honestly, it’s 1 AM and I’m not ruining my sleep schedule to finish a book I’m not into. And I know if I stop here there is zero chance I’m picking it up again.
allygatr's review against another edition
3.0
tbh had strong dnf vibes at the beginning but I just continued to listen. there were definitely overused tropes of someone believing they HAVE TO follow their parent's path. sometimes they did touch on cultural identity which I liked but it was just such a vast range of topics